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Written question asked by Lord Turnbull (Crossbench) on Wednesday, 15 January 2020, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 29 January 2020. It was answered by Lord Duncan of Springbank (Conservative) on Monday, 27 January 2020 on behalf of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Climate Change

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparison they have made of the impact on the maintenance of global temperatures until 2100 of adopting (1) net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, (2) net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, and (3) a reduction of 80 per cent carbon emissions by 2050.

Answer

The Government has not made this comparison itself. The legislation that Parliament passed to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by 2050 is aligned with advice from our independent Committee on Climate Change, and is based on evidence regarding global emissions provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on the impact of 1.5°C global warming.

The evidence shows that in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C, global emissions of carbon dioxide must roughly halve by 2030 and reach net zero by around 2050. The UK’s net zero target is for all greenhouse gases which goes beyond this global pathway to 1.5°C. Delivering this target will require ambitious action across government and this commitment puts us in a strong position to call for other countries to follow our lead and consider what similar commitments they can make.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL485
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Climate change Carbon emissions
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk